NATUROPATHIC ENDOCRINOLOGIST ????

[grateful2011]

I was diagnosed hypothyroid about ten years ago, was satisfied with levothroid and blood test results for years. moved to new state, got new doc and she switched me to synthroid - during this time other health issues motivated to me change my eating - as of January 2013 -  I am a Nutritarian thanx to dr joel fuhrman.

in 2012 i stopped taking the synthroid on my own, i thought my new lifestyle of no processed foods, no gluten, no dairy, no meat - would be enough to get my thyroid out of "hypo" status.

I was wrong - cause my TSH results of June 2013 are 13.46 !!!! - the change of diet is a joy and  I will  continue my healthy lifestyle forever !!!!   - however I will  be seeing a Naturopathic Endocrinologist to see what she suggests to help my thyroid get back to functioning. I would prefer not to take a "drug" (synthroid/levothroid)

Has anyone had any experience with a Naturopathic Endocrinologist ?????

[grateful2011]

thank you, thank you for the suggestions on other medication options - will google them for more info .  My doctor appt is next week - so will also see what the naturopathic endo doc has to offer also. This gives me some questions to ask her - thanx again !!!

[Stufftie]

If you wanted to stay with something that was more natural you could try Westhroid, Armour, Efra, Naturthroid (not sure on this spelling) etc..

People respond differently to synthetic or natural so just a trial and error with time.

Armour is ground up pig thyroid gland which contain all the T's instead of just T4.  It takes a little bit to get use to the readily available T3, but for me it helped me get through the crashes faster at first.  

Just a thought....

I agree with gimel about the Free T testing as does my internal doctor.  She barely pays attention to the TSH.  If she does run it she doesn't mention it during medication changes.

After trying Armour I will not see a doctor that doesn't prescribe it.  I love that my insurance companies website lets me see the medication the doctor prescribes the most.  That is very helpful than waiting for the appointment and finding they don't like the medication I am on.

[gimel]

I have no experience or knowledge to draw from.  I didn't even know there were Naturopathic Endocrinologists.  Hopefully they would be more likely to treat clinically, as described, and not have the "Immaculate TSH Belief" and not use "Reference Range Endocrinology".  If you go there, please let us know about your experience, and how you are doing.

[grateful2011]

thank you sooo much for your wisdom !   what do u think about a Naturopathic Endocrinologist ?????

[gimel]

What was the cause for your hypothyroidism 10 years ago?  Chances are good that it was Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is the most common cause for diagnosed hypothyroidism.  With Hashi's, the autoimmune system produces antibodies that attack and eventually destroy the thyroid gland's function.  So if that is the case, you won't find anything to help your thyroid get back to functioning, and you will need to take Synthyroid etc., to maintain your thyroid levels high enough to preclude hypo symptoms.  

By the way those thyroid meds are not "drugs", but instead are man-made  thyroid hormone.  They do contain fillers/binders used to manufacture the tablets, and some patients do not tolerate some brands.  

I also wanted to mention that TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many things that at best it is only an indicator of thyroid status.  Far better indicators are symptoms and also levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not TSH results.  A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.